System and method for automating test automation

• US 9,038,026 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Issued: 05/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chandra, Satish, Das, Achin K., Mangipudi, Srinivas, Mukherjee, Debdoot, Sinha, Saurabh, Thummalapenta, Suresh
• Primary Examiner(s): Brophy, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/274,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20130097586A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 717124-129
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases

Abstract

A computer system, method and computer program product for automatically converting, through automating-test-automation software, a manual test case representation (in a natural language), for testing a target software, into a machine-readable test case representation. In preferred embodiments, the machine-readable test case is in the form of a keyword-based test case that is made from action-target-data tuples. The automation-test-software uses a methodical process of trial-and-error to resolve ambiguities that are generally present (and generally resolvable by humans) in the manual test case representation.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a processor set comprising at least one processor;

and a software storage device;

wherein;

the processor set is structured, programmed and/or connected in data communication with the software storage device so that the processor set performs machine-readable instructions stored on the software storage device;

the software storage device includes the following;

a manual test case database comprising at least a first manual test case representation including at least one test step described in a natural language without format restrictions, ATA software, and first target software;

wherein the first manual test case is a manual test case for performing a test on the first target software; and

the ATA software is programmed to generate a first machine-readable keyword-based script test case representation corresponding to the first manual test case representation including;

automatically identifying at least one sequence of potential action-target-data (ATD) tuples, including at least one potential ATD tuple, based on the at least one test step in the first manual test case representation;

running each potential ATD tuple against the target software to determine if the potential ATD tuple is a correct ATD tuple for automated testing;

recording each correct ATD tuple as part of the of the keyword-based script test case representation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the first target software is in the form of an application that runs on a browser; and

the ATA software is further programmed so that first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is in the form of a first browser-application keyword-based script test case representation.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the software storage device further includes a test driver set; and

the ATA software is further programmed so that first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is in the form of a first test-driver-run keyword-based script test case representation.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein:

the ATA software comprises;

a segmentation module, a segment ordering module, a target disambiguation module, a data identification module, and a runtime interpretation module;

the segmentation module is programmed to identify potential segment sets for each step of the first manual test case representation where each potential segment set includes at least one potential segment;

the segment ordering module is programmed to determine potential orderings for potential segment sets for potential segment set that includes more than one potential segment;

the target disambiguation module is programmed to determine potential targets for each potential segment of each potential segment set;

the data identification module is programmed to identify potential data values for each potential segment of each potential segment set; and

a runtime interpretation module is programmed to run potential segment sets on the target software to determine;

(i) which potential segment sets are correct segment sets for the first keyword-based script test case representation, (ii) which potential orderings are correct orderings for the first keyword-based script test case representation, and (iii) which potential targets are correct targets for the first keyword-based script test case representation.

5. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing ATA software therein, the ATA software comprising:

an input module programmed to receive a first target software and a first manual test case representation including at least one test step described in a natural language without format restrictions written for the first target software;

an automating-test-automation module programmed to generate a first machine-readable keyword-based test case representation corresponding to the first manual test case representation including;

automatically identifying at least one sequence of potential action-target-data (ATD) tuples, including at least one potential ATD tuple, based on the at least one test step in the first manual test case representation;

running each potential ATD tuple against the target software to determine if the potential ATD tuple is a correct ATD tuple for automated testing;

recording each correct ATD tuple as part of the of the keyword-based script test case representation; and

an output module programmed to output the first machine-readable keyword-based script test case representation.

6. The medium of claim 5 wherein:

the first target software is in the form of an application that runs on a browser; and

the automating-test-automation module is further programmed so that first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is in the form of a first browser-application keyword-based script test case representation.

7. The medium of claim 5 wherein the automating-test-automation module is further programmed so that first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is in the form of a first test-driver-run keyword-based script test case representation.

8. The medium of claim 5 wherein:

the automating-test-automation module comprises;

a segmentation sub-module, a segment ordering sub-module, a target disambiguation sub-module, a data identification sub-module, and a runtime interpretation sub-module;

the segmentation sub-module is programmed to identify potential segment sets for each step of the first manual test case representation where each potential segment set includes at least one potential segment;

the segment ordering sub-module is programmed to determine potential orderings for potential segment sets for potential segment set that includes more than one potential segment;

the target disambiguation sub-module is programmed to determine potential targets for each potential segment of each potential segment set;

the data identification sub-module is programmed to identify potential data values for each potential segment of each potential segment set; and

the runtime interpretation sub-module is programmed to run potential segment sets on the target software to determine;

(i) which potential segment sets are correct segment sets for the first keyword-based script test case representation, (ii) which potential orderings are correct orderings for the first keyword-based script test case representation, and (iii) which potential targets are correct targets for the first keyword-based script test case representation.

9. A method for converting a manual test case representation into a machine-readable test case representation, the method comprising the following steps:

providing first target software and a first manual test case representation including at least one test step described in a natural language without format restrictions written for the first target software;

generating a first machine-readable keyword-based script test case representation corresponding to the first manual test case representation using ATA software including;

automatically identifying at least one sequence of potential action-target-data (ATD) tuples, including at least one potential ATD tuple, based on the at least one test step in the first manual test case representation;

running each potential ATD tuple against the target software to determine if the potential ATD tuple is a correct ATD tuple for automated testing;

recording each correct ATD tuple as part of the of the keyword-based script test case representation; and

outputting the first machine-readable keyword-based script test case representation.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the first target software is in the form of an application that runs on a browser; and

at the generation step, the first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is generated to be in the form of a first browser-application keyword-based script test case representation.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein, at the generation step, the first machine-readable test case representation, corresponding to the first manual test case representation, is generated to be in the form of a first test-driver-run keyword-based script test case representation.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein:

the generating step is substantially performed by ATA software comprising;

a segmentation module, a segment ordering module, a target disambiguation module, a data identification module, and a runtime interpretation module;

the segmentation module is programmed to identify potential segment sets for each step of the first manual test case representation where each potential segment set includes at least one potential segment;

the segment ordering module is programmed to determine potential orderings for potential segment sets for potential segment set that includes more than one potential segment;

the target disambiguation module is programmed to determine potential targets for each potential segment of each potential segment set;

the data identification module is programmed to identify potential data values for each potential segment of each potential segment set; and

the runtime interpretation module is programmed to run potential segment sets on the target software to determine;

(i) which potential segment sets are correct segment sets for the first keyword-based script test case representation, (ii) which potential orderings are correct orderings for the first keyword-based script test case representation, and (iii) which potential targets are correct targets for the first keyword-based script test case representation.